As many students are aware, applying to college can be nerve-wracking. Upperclassmen look for guidance from parents, college tutors, and SAT prep courses. However, IHS students may have more at their disposition than they think. The College and Career Services office is designed to help students reach their college goals and achieve their career dreams. In the “Letter from Student Services” on the first page in the College Admissions Handbook, IHS counselors express their enthusiasm to work with students throughout their high-school years to help prepare them for the next phase in their lives. This sounds like promising news, but do the students agree that IHS is doing everything it can to help students with the college admissions process and that counselors are taking the right precautions?
In the College and Career Services Office, there are informational catalogs about the college application process for students who are interested. Counselors and staff members aim to assist students by providing them with the information they need to select fitting colleges, find the requirements for applying to those colleges, and get career information. This raises a multitude of questions, based on whether or not students think this method is efficient. Students have differing opinions on how well the College and Career Services Office aids them in the application process.
Caelia Thomas ’18, a soccer player, said, “Honestly, for me IHS hasn’t helped a lot with the college process. While they provide the PSAT and SAT prep and such, there is almost a drop-off of help. Unless you take AVID or have something else outside of class, IHS doesn’t really guide you through the application process.” By “drop-off of help,” Thomas meant that students must initiate everything. “Basically, you have to go in to a counselor and ask for help. And even then, it is difficult to find something that really helps other than the standard informational booklet that they give everyone.” Nile Gossa-Tsegaye ’18, a tennis player, said, “I’d say, in terms of the actual academic rigor and extremely wide variety of classes available to students, IHS definitely prepares us well. However, in other aspects like standardized testing, IHS could definitely help students become more proactive and aware.”
Hannah Zimar ’17, a star tennis player, said, “The counselors just don’t put any effort to make sure the students are taking the right courses for their individual goals. I talked to an admissions guy from a different school who helps people get into college, and he basically told me I wasn’t taking any of the classes that I should be taking for what I want to do in college. If I had been informed from my sophomore year, I would not have taken the classes I am taking. I also had no idea what to expect from an SAT probably until November of junior year.”
Francis Schickel ’16, now a freshman at Notre Dame University, said, “I believe IHS does a great job preparing students for the academic disciplines. I am doing very well with my classes at Notre Dame. There are truly a lot of people in IHS that have the knowledge and know-how on how to complete the Common App. Ms. Amodeo was my AP Lit teacher and she was fully willing to read essays and provide critique. I know IHS also brought in a Cornell University admissions officer to hold seminars on how to organize your essay. However, as a student who was preparing in a multitude of activities in and out of school and was enrolled in many classes that were entirely seniors, I definitely wish there was less homework during some of the major weeks, such as right before we have to submit [applications].”
Based on these varying opinions, one cannot generalize IHS students’ thoughts on the college and career services IHS has to offer. While students cannot rely solely on the school when applying to college, it is important for students to have proper and adequate guidance. The general consensus seems to be that there is room for improvement for the College and Career Services Office.